After less than a month, the Verizon iPhone is facing lackluster sales, bad publicity and strong Android competition. Corbis

February 28, 2011

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Though hotly anticipated as a superior alternative to AT&T's iPhone, the Verizon iPhone 4, which went on sale earlier this month, hasn't exactly smashed sales records. Now, Consumer Reportshas failed to endorse the phone, saying it has reception issues on par with those of the much agonized-over AT&T model. "Evidence is mounting," says David Carnoy at CNET, that the Verizon iPhone is "more of a dud than a hit." Is it really? (See a CNET comparison of the two phones)

Blame the market, not Verizon: The Verizon iPhone's failure to meet expectations is understandable given that "a lot of market forces are actually conspiring against it," says David Carnoy at CNET. A number of strong Android models recently came out, and it's likely that Apple will introduce the next generation iPhone in June, something savvy consumers know. Plus, many AT&T iPhone owners are still under contract, and AT&T has waged a strong advertising counter-campaign arguing why it's still a better option than Verizon. "Why aren't people buying the Verizon iPhone?"